Branded Plastic Cups

Make Your Events Memorable with Personalised Plastic Cups

It's so easy for cups to be lost amongst the noise and excitement of your event, but they can help to shape the feeling that you're trying to bring.

They can be used to emphasise brand messaging and colours, or give the "vibe" that matches what the event is about, whether it's a relaxing festival or outdoor bar area, or a more sophisticated gin tasting pop-up event.

Like the subtle scent of Le Labo in a five-star lobby, drinkware speaks volumes - without a word.

Ever wonder why people still hang onto their TEDx mugs or Coachella water bottles? It’s because those items were curated, and associated with an event where they made memories - and your branding could be all over it.

Thoughtfully. Stylishly. With purpose.

Popular types include:

Stacking Pint Glasses for Festivals and Events

Our special range includes stacking pint cups, ideal for carrying multiple drinks at a festival or large event at a football stadium or rugby game. These disposable cups can be reused multiple times, making them a great investment, whilst also being nice souvenirs for attendees to take home.

They have a large branding area, which makes them versatile for multiple different event styles and campaign types. We have both disposable and reusable cups.

Safe Plastic Glasses for Bar and Club Outdoor or Smoking Areas

When customers are drinking alcohol, it can be dangerous for them to be taking drinks glasses into outdoor areas. This is why many bars and clubs choose to provide punters with plastic glasses for exterior use.

By choosing to brand these plastic glasses, you can maintain the look and feel of your bar or club, and prevent them from looking cheap or tacky. At Steel City, we have a diverse range of cups on offer for bars, including our Plastic Beer Stein, and Reusable Plastic Chalice Cup. Virtually unbreakable, perfect for situations where accidents often happen.

Choose personalised plastic cups with lids if you want to promote safer drinking in nightclubs and bars.

Plastic Cups for Parties and Weddings

If you're holding a big party or a wedding, then customising your very own plastic cups or tumblers can be a great way to theme your day in the perfect style you're looking for. Personalisation of the cups also makes them very personal, which people may choose to take home with them as a memento.

Make the hen party or birthday party extra special with exclusive cups as gifts, part of giveaway bags.

The Reusable Plastic Champagne Flute is great for the 1st toast if it's outside on cobbles.

Eco-friendly compostable cups

Clear PLA cups look like standard plastic but tick EN 13432 compliance. Sizes run 9oz, 12oz, 16oz. Perfect for street markets or vegan food fests. Guests see “compostable” stamped on the base, and suddenly the Instagram caption shifts from “great falafel wrap” to “eco-friendly festival vibes.” They do warp under heat though, so don’t plan to serve Irish coffee in them.

The Bio Universal Tumbler is a great example of an eco friendly plastic cup.

Sleek corporate cups

Gloss or matte finishes, Pantone-proofed, often 8oz tasting cups, 12oz wine cups, or 16oz tumblers. Designed to look sharp in professional photos. A good trick? Ask for one printed sample and test it under your venue’s lighting (LEDs distort colours differently than daylight). Smart choice if professionalism is non-negotiable, but not if you’re watching the budget.

The Reusable Plastic Stack Cups are a great example of this, subtle but sophisticated.

Bold wraparound logo cups

Full 360° print coverage, UV-stable inks rated for 6 months outdoors. Sizes vary, but 200mm x 80mm wrap areas make your logo unmissable. Think Shoreditch pop-up bars or blockbuster street stunts. They turn cups into Instagram bait. Excellent when KPIs include social amplification, but skip it if four-colour process printing blows your budget.

How to Choose Custom Plastic Glasses

Order volume vs. budget

• Large-volume bulk packs - Think Reading Festival. 10,000 thirsty people. You don’t buy 500 cups and hope for the best. Bulk runs (5,000+) bring unit cost to £0.18-£0.25. You can’t get that efficiency any other way. Plus, offset or pad printing shines at this scale - sharper, cleaner, and pennies per impression. Skip it and you risk emergency Tesco runs for unbranded cups mid-event, at triple the price. Do the maths: £2,000 for 10,000 cups = 20p per brand impression. That’s less than one-fifth of what you’d pay for a banner in a Tube station.
• Low minimum runs - On the other hand, try convincing a wedding couple to buy 5,000 units for 200 guests. Not happening. Smaller runs of 100-300 units let boutique cafés and private events stay sane. The setup fee can feel steep, but it’s cheaper than boxes of unused cups in the garage. That’s the trade-off - flexibility costs more, but prevents waste. Would you rather spend £300 wisely, or £900 storing stock you’ll never touch?

Colour accuracy vs. speed of turnaround

• Pantone-matched printing - This is for the perfectionists (and rightly so). Ever tried explaining to a marketing director why their brand blue looks like teal? Pantone ±1 tolerance avoids that awkward conversation. But it adds 2-3 days to production because inks need mixing and proofing. Use it when photographers or stakeholders are watching every detail. Consider it brand insurance.
• Fast digital printing - Meanwhile, guerrilla campaigns thrive on speed. Need 1,000 cups in 3-5 days? Digital gets it done, even if colours shift ±5%. Campaigns are about seizing the moment - missing it costs more than slightly “off” logos. If a competitor is sampling outside King’s Cross tomorrow, you can’t wait for perfect Pantone proofs.

Eco-friendly materials vs. durability

• Compostable or recyclable plastic - Ever seen an event get slammed on Twitter for plastic waste? Compostables avoid that. PLA biodegrades in 12 weeks under industrial conditions. But heat above 55°C warps it - so don’t serve mulled wine in them. Best for cold drinks at food markets, street festivals, and eco-conscious cafés. Always ask waste contractors if they’ll process PLA - otherwise, those cups end up in landfill anyway, defeating the point.
• Heavy-duty reusable plastic - Festivals are cracking down on single-use. A 500-600 micron PP cup can survive 20+ washes at 60°C. Pair it with a £1 deposit scheme and suddenly you’ve offset your spend while cutting litter by up to 70%. Numbers matter: a 10,000-person event switching to reusables can save £5,000+ in waste disposal fees. That’s not PR fluff; that’s line-item budgeting.

Personalised designs vs. standard logos

• Custom artwork or names - Want guests to keep their cup as a souvenir? That’s only possible with intricate designs like monograms. Use screen mesh at 120-150 LPI for sharp detail down to 0.2mm strokes. Anything less bleeds. Don’t let a blurry crest ruin the keepsake vibe.
• Logo-only branding - Sometimes simpler is smarter. For 10,000-unit bar chains, all you need is logo coverage. A 200mm wrap maximises visibility. Stakeholders don’t want flourishes, they want scale and consistency. Why complicate it?

Contact Steel City Today For a Logo Printed Plastic Cup Quote

The Steel City team will be happy to talk to you regarding your plastic cup needs. Contact us today for a free quote and discussion. Phone 0114 275 4150 or email [email protected].

HIGHLIGHTED TEAM MEMBER

Jennifer Burton | Marketing Executive

With over a decade of design and marketing experience, Jennifer possesses a broad range of marketing expertise covering everything from event planning to digital marketing. Joining Steel City in 2015, Jennifer manages all areas of the company’s marketing, from writing creative content about promotional merchandise, managing social media activity to organising events and direct mail campaigns. Outside of work, Jennifer loves to try new recipes, keeping fit and spending time with her family.

Linkedin | Email: [email protected]

You can meet the rest of the team here.